Need For Renewed Education Efforts For Tb Use?

[madfamily]

I think the geocaching community would benefit from an awareness campaign regarding travel bugs.

 

Two weeks ago I placed a geocoin as incentive for a renewed cache . It was gone in a day... the paper log showed it taken by someone who rushed over to get it, but it was not logged on geocaching.com. It remains lost to this day.

 

A month ago I dropped a TB while on a group outing, and someone immediately took it. It has not been logged, and appears to be missing to this day. I was the last to log it.

 

A few weeks back I met a cacher who had 18 TBs in his sack... some kept for many months. Isn't it enough to log your contact with the TB; do we really need to hold on to them?

 

It seems that there is a melding of commemorative geocaching coins and travel bugs, and as a result TBs have become collectibles. It seems the geocaching society is at least becoming tolerant of TB retention, if not condoning and perhaps even encouraging collecting them by making commemorative coins into TBs.

 

Perhaps we should have a public awareness campaign to raise awareness of the importance of respecting the stated missions of TBs and the wishes of the owners? It is one thing to produce and give away an attractive commemorative coin, but a TB is supposed to be sent along, no?

 

I know I am hesitant to create any good TBs anymore, as I am more and more certain that they will simply be collected by someone in short order.

Edited May 5, 2004 by madfamily

[+Renegade Knight]

You could offer to distribute all 4000 Jeep Travel Bugs along with TB rules, regs, and common sence.

 

I'm joking and yet there is potential there.

[+Riddlers]

I have seen some people mention that after a few weeks of holding a TB they received a notice about moving them on their journey but so far our first TB ever put out is still sitting in the hands of the first person to claim it. I tried to make it unique but didn't expect someone to keep the thing as a collectors piece. My question is who does the notice to move a TB on? Geo Administers or the owner or some computer generated program?

[+welch]

I have seen some people mention that after a few weeks of holding a TB they received a notice about moving them on their journey but so far our first TB ever put out is still sitting in the hands of the first person to claim it. I tried to make it unique but didn't expect someone to keep the thing as a collectors piece. My question is who does the notice to move a TB on? Geo Administers or the owner or some computer generated program?

The traveler's owner.

AFAIK there is not any automated reminder system.

 

"I'm sorry, I seem to have lost your cool traveler... in my pocket" , but thats what happens sometimes

[+bons]

I have seen some people mention that after a few weeks of holding a TB they received a notice about moving them on their journey but so far our first TB ever put out is still sitting in the hands of the first person to claim it. I tried to make it unique but didn't expect someone to keep the thing as a collectors piece. My question is who does the notice to move a TB on? Geo Administers or the owner or some computer generated program?

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=69405

 

I belive it's an automated part of the system.

[+welch]

And now I want to kidnapp a TB for a couple weeks to see it work

[madfamily]

I understand everyone can have a different understanding of travel bugs, because except for stated missions there aren't really any rules. Some say 2 weeks is too long to hold a TB.... is it really? I think it depends on the mission.

 

I like the idea of holding a TB until I get a chance to place it. Simply HAVING a TB is a fun reminder that I need to get out there and do some caching. It's a conversation piece as well... which leads to caching, because when you start talking about caching with people you end up caching with people. I don't think I should feel obligated to recirculate at 2 weeks.... I personally would feel guilty at about 2 months (provided there was no stated mission I was violating).

 

Rather than hold someone else's hostage, I try to make new TBs which I have in-hand ready to go, and talk about. But I do enjoy the times I have some interesting TB in hand in between caches. Withmy lifestyle (small children at home) sometimes I feel lucky to get out caching at all, and even then I have to stick to 1/1 caches within 20 minutes of home.

[+bigredmed]

The problem with the system is that it doesn't recognize logs. I found a Tb that wanted to go to someplace warm. Carleenp is getting a cache exchange with a group in Spain together, so I emailed the TB owner, got their approval and mailed the TB to Carleenp. Put all of this in a log on the TB website. Its still listed as in my inventory and I get the message that I have held this bug too long.

 

Need some way to turn off this alert (owner setting?).

[+geffersnco]

Hi, we have picked up a travel bug and posted the fact we had it with a note saying what we intended to do with it. we then recieved a reminder that we had held the tb for over 14 days.

 

when we picked yup the tb we checked out where it was going, which was Germany, only to find it had been up and down the A1 for months and got nowhere.

 

We intend dropping it in Northern France or Belgium late july, at least then it is making headway, we also emailed the owner of the tb, and they did not reply, so what are we to do. From the replys you have had it seems you cant do right for doing wrong.

 

I think there needs to be some sort of tb etiquette sorted out so that they get to there destination, rather than moving a few miles in one country..

[+bons]

Further, I would like to see a 14 day limit on holding TB's.  At 15 days, your account is set to automatically redirect you to the TB's page,when you log in to remind you to move the bug.

The problem with the system is that it doesn't recognize logs.  I found a Tb that wanted to go to someplace warm.  Carleenp is getting a cache exchange with a group in Spain together, so I emailed the TB owner, got their approval and mailed the TB to Carleenp.  Put all of this in a log on the TB website.  Its still listed as in my inventory and I get the message that I have held this bug too long. 

 

Need some way to turn off this alert (owner setting?).

Life's little ironies...

Edited May 7, 2004 by bons

[+bazzle]

The problem with the system is that it doesn't recognize logs. I found a Tb that wanted to go to someplace warm. Carleenp is getting a cache exchange with a group in Spain together, so I emailed the TB owner, got their approval and mailed the TB to Carleenp. Put all of this in a log on the TB website. Its still listed as in my inventory and I get the message that I have held this bug too long.

 

Need some way to turn off this alert (owner setting?).

It's an asterix... There is no warning or popup. How tough is it to ignore an asertix? Especially when you know the situation and the system does not. Automated redirects would only serve to make folks mad, it will not force them to move a bug. A little tolerance on the part of bug owners is the best answer. If you feel your bug should be moved, email the person holding it and encourage them to do so. Whining in the forums is not the answer. IMHO it is time for folks to stop expecting TPTB to control the action of others. Take the responsibility for you bugs and deal with it.

[RedHillian]

And now I want to kidnapp a TB for a couple weeks to see it work

I have a TB tag as a keyring, activated but I don't log it anywhere - just 'cos it looks cool.

 

I'll send you the number if you want to 'capture' it for a while, but I'll whine and curse your name everytime I can't find my keys...

 

(you can look at TBG3A6 if you want to see them!)

[+Renegade Knight]

I've got a TB in my hands. It's not a large one but I've found lately that to actually find a container large enough is hard. I could just dump it in my TB hotel but won't until I've given up findinga 'real' cache that is suitable.

 

One of those "hey there bucko you've been holding that TB a tad long notices will probably come my direction.

[+Riddlers]

I agree that two weeks is short for working people who are looking for the right location but six weeks is a litle much. I have tried e-mailing to encourage movement and even offered to replace the coin attached if he will just get it moving.

[Alfster]

I have only been geocaching for a short while. A friend introduced me to it in a zealotic manner about a month ago. He purposefully picked up a travel bug to place near where I live in a bug hotel to get it closer to Germany. We spent a while getting some excellent photos of it in situ and wished it well. I then check it's journey the next week and lo someone has taken it NOT on a plane but back to their house because 18 days later it has still not been moved on even though the takers HAVE been to other caches. And the most annoying thing? Someone visited the cache to pick up TB's on the way to Europe two days later.

 

Annoyed? You bet.

 

It's a pretty simple concept. Even more simple than geocaching itself so why do some people not get it?

 

Purge and rant over.

[+bigredmed]

The Strakkalogue refers to these kind of people as Oblivions. They wander through life oblviious to the rules of the games they play and when confronted, they say "everyone plays the game their own way" (even if their way is obviously wrong). As long as this behavior is tolerated, it will continue.

 

As it bothered me to the point of nearly quitting the game on several occasions, I have dealt with it by ending my purchases of travel bugs. Further, I make no purchases from Groundspeak. If this is a trivial issue for TPTB, then the money I would spend on travel bugs is best kept in my pocket rather than theirs and better than going down the drain buying new travel bugs to replace the ones that get stuck or get stolen. After beginning this one man strike, I feel better. I know that I won't change the situation or fix the problem, but I also will not participate in its continuation.

[+mcweb]

TBs are optional. No one has to buy them, or send them out. Also, the alert is just a reminder. It is not meant to imply that you have not done what you are obligated to do. If you have made previous arrangements with the owner, or have not gone caching but plan to soon, it is okay. People do grab and hold TBs and sometimes they keep them way too long (I've been guilty of this when I first started caching, but not any more) and there is nothing anyone can do to stop this from happening completely. I agree that it is frustrating when someone takes your bug and doesn't move it, but TPTB is not to blame for this. You can e-mail the person holding your bug, and hopefully it will motivate them to move it along, but it's not a guarantee. I think that educating people is a good option; it will possibly increase awareness that TB are not collectors items; however, there's no way to completely prevent missing TBs.

 

Okay, that's enough ranting from me,

McWeb